Joel McHale To Star In CBS Comedy Pilot ‘The Great Indoors’

Community star Joel McHale is making a comedy series return as the lead inThe Great Indoors, CBS‘ multi-camera pilot written and executive produced by Mike Gibbons. The project, from CBS TV Studios, centers on Joel (McHale), an adventure reporter who must adapt to the times when he becomes the boss to a group of millennials in the digital department of the magazine. Joel — a role I hear Gibbons wrote with McHale in mind — is an outdoorsy guy’s guy with a sardonic sense of humor. The longtime star reporter for The Great Outdoors magazine, Joel has climbed mountains, confronted bears, and just generally led a life of excitement and adventure. But when he’s sidelined by an injury, he’s forced to take a desk job in the publication’s digital and social media department, surrounded by a team of millennials who view him as an exotic and ancient oddity from another place and time.

McHale, who is coming off a six-season stint on Community and 12 years hosting E!’s The Soup, has been in demand this pilot season with multiple offers. He is repped by WME and attorney PJ Shapiro.